The Afterglow

April 24, 2022 Easter 2 Year C Afterglow Opening Song Welcome to the Easter season. Easter lasts for 50 days until Pentecost. But every Sunday is Easter. Call to Worship L: Happy Easter Season! Today is the first day of the week. P: The joy of Easter still sings in our hearts. L: Breathe the breath of new life in your spirits! P: We open our hearts to all the wondrous work God has for us to do. L: Welcome to worship this glorious day! P: Let our lives be testimony to God’s redeeming love! AMEN. (Nancy C. Townley – Ministry Matters) Song – Breathe on Me Breath of God - UMH 420 Prayer of Reflection and Growth Spirit of Serenity- You tell us “peace be with you,” but we set that peace aside to live with drama and chaos. We are drawn to highly emotional situations instead of the peace that only comes from you. How can we set aside turmoil to live within your realm of peace? When we cannot sense your holy tranquility surrounding us, open our souls to your warm and calming presence. May we embrace your peace and scatter serenity into our world. Amen. (Rev. Michelle Torigian – UCC Worship Ways) Assurance of Grace The God who walks with us scatters the seeds of grace behind us and before us, allowing us to understand the future with healing and hope. Amen! (Rev. Michelle Torigian – UCC Worship Ways) Scripture John 20:19-31 Sermon – afterglow It is Easter….again. Easter is not just a day- but it is a season. Easter is a way of life. Every Sunday is Easter. I look forward to the 50 days of Easter – because the scriptures this time of year challenge each of us sitting here with our faith. – Why are we even sitting here in the first place? All of the rest of the year- we follow the life of Jesus. Jesus is a nice person who teaches us how to live right. His advice is good for us, whether we actually believe that he is the son of God, whether we actually believe in miracles, we can go along with the story. But this time of year, people can really struggle with the whole Easter story. Did a man really die and then raise from the dead? And yet Easter is the crux of our faith. Easter, not Christmas is the beginning of our story. Easter is where the rubber meets the road. The lectionary scriptures help us to think for ourselves and to come up with our definitions of church, faith, Christianity, and resurrection. What is it that you actually believe about these words? And how do your definitions affect your life. Easter is something that should live in each of our hearts. I listened to a webcast this week featuring my favorite theologian – John Dominic Crossan. Crossan has done a lot of work on the history of the resurrection. He is my favorite theologian, because when I served in Aurora, the ministerial association paid for him to come and teach a weekend class for us. Theologians are good at defining faith, but don’t always have faith. Crossan says that for us Easter is a metaphor. He says the whole bible is a metaphor – a symbol for a deeper meaning which may or may not have happened in history. But before we decide that the resurrection did not happen – let me say that Crossan points out that everything in our life is a metaphor. A metaphor is the way that we define reality. The question is not if we believe in the resurrection, the question is do we live the resurrection. When we live in the resurrection, it becomes truth. It is not about the life and death of a man 2000 years ago, but how does that story affect our actions today? How did this story affect the people who heard it? Are we still willing to tell that story today? Does the resurrection story create a better world? Our Easter scriptures are all about how witnesses responded and felt called to create the church – a community of believers. You know that bible never does say what happened to the body that was laid in the tomb. But the New Testament is full of stories of how Christ appeared to the disciples after the resurrection. If there was one set of stories, that could be someone’s opinion. But these stories are widespread in all of the gospels. It is these appearances that convinced them to write down these stories for everyone else to hear. Luke tells the story of the walk to Emmaus. We don’t look at that story this year. This year, John will be the gospel all throughout Easter. Our story today, the story of doubting Thomas appears every year. Jesus comes into a locked upper room and talks with the disciples. Thomas was not there, and refuses to believe it until he sees it himself. Thomas forever has the reputation of being a doubter. And yet the resurrection stories are double stories – there is a part of the story that we can follow easily and have faith, and some parts of the story don’t make any sense. In life, faith and doubt go hand in hand. Ants in The Pants of Faith Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don’t have any doubts you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving. Frederick Buechner Doubt is like a front porch. All of us go through it before we get into the house of faith. William L. Self, The Prelude to Faith, ChristianGlobe Networks All of us have to decide if we really believe the resurrection story. Is it a convenient metaphor that we tolerate, or is it the reality that we live? Encountering the Crucified Risen Lord In a Lecture Series given by D. T. Niles, he finished by saying, "Let me conclude with a story told by a famous French bishop to his congregation. Three university students of Paris were walking along the road one Good Friday afternoon. They noticed crowds of people going to the churches to make their confession. The students began to discuss this custom of the ‘unenlightened,’ and talked in rather cynical terms about the survival of religion, which they described as superstition. Suddenly two of the students turned to the third, who was the leader among them, and said to him, ‘Will you go into this church and tell the priest there what we have been saying to each other?’ ‘Sure, I will,’ he said, and went in. He stood in the same queue of those who were going to their confession, and when his turn came, he looked at the priest and said, ‘Father, I have come here merely to tell you that Christianity is a dying institution and that religion is a superstition.’ The priest looked at the young man keenly and said, ‘Why did you come here, my son, to tell me this?’ And the student told him of his conversation with his friends. The priest listened carefully and then said: ‘All right, I want you to do one thing for me before you go. You accepted the challenge of your friends and came here; now accept my challenge to you. Walk up to the chancel and you will find there a large wooden cross and on it he figure of Jesus crucified. I want you to stand before that cross and say these words: ‘Jesus died for me and I don’t care a damn.’ The student looked defiant but, to save face, agreed. He went up and stood before that cross and said it: ‘Jesus died for me and I don’t care a damn.’ He came back to he priest and said, ‘I have done it.’ ‘Do it once more,’ said the priest; ‘after all, it means nothing to you.’ The student went back and looked at the cross for some time and the figure on it, and then he stammered it out: ‘Jesus died for me and I don’t care a damn.’ He returned to the priest and said, ‘I have done it; I am going now.’ The priest stopped him. ‘Once more,’ he said, just once more and you can go. The young man walked up to the chancel and looked at that cross again, and at the Crucified. He stood there for a long time. Then he came back to the priest and said, ‘Father, can I make my confession now?’ The bishop stunned the congregation when he concluded with these words: ‘My dear people, that young man was me.’" D. T. Niles, Preaching the Gospel of the Resurrection. ______________________ We all have a personal story of why we are sitting here right now. I am here because Christ has revealed himself to me time and time again. I can believe in this story and let it center my faith. Our stories are different, our faith is different. For some of us our faith is based in signs, some of us don’t need any signs, some of us are questioning, some of us are certain, some of us have a shallow faith, some have a deep faith, some of us are faltering in faith, some are seeking , some are growing. But it is the Easter story that draws us all together in one place, on one community. As a matter of fact, each of the disciples has a different story of how they were affected by Christ’ story. You notice in today’s scripture Jesus didn’t chastise Thomas for doubting, he understood. We don’t know a whole lot about Thomas situation. He is named in the other 3 gospels, but nothing is said. John only briefly mentions his twice. Some think he may have been John’s brother, or even Jesus brother. He becomes a missionary to India, and is reportedly killed by a Hindu priest who didn’t appreciate him converting people. December 21st the traditional day that he is remembered. There is a gospel of Thomas that is not included in our bible. John is the only disciple who was not killed while spreading the gospel. John’s message to us – Jesus was the messiah, we can believe his story and form our faith around it. Beleiving is not just about reading the bible, or praying a certain prayer, or a set of actions to do to guarantee going to heaven. Believing is a way of life that feeds your soul and gives you the strength to go forward. Believing is living a life that radiates and helps others to see God clearly. When Jesus tells Thomas that he is blessed, but those who believe without actually seeing the nails in Jesus hands are even more blessed – Jesus is inviting us to become a part of the Easter story. We today can live the Easter story and become witnesses to the resurrection. We can believe in a way that truly changes circumstances. You know, your can only believe in something that you belove. Easter in Us The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote an ambitious poem entitled 'The Wreck of the Deutschland.' It commemorates the death of five Franciscan nuns drowned on the German ship Deutschland at the mouth of the Thames in the winter of 1875. One half-line especially intrigues me: 'Let him Easter in us.' Let Christ 'Easter' in us. A rare verb indeed, but it suits this sacred season, ... How does Christ Easter in us? In three wondrous ways: (1) By a faith that rises above doubt. (2) By a hope that conquers despair. (3) By a love that does justice. Walter J. Burghardt, Let Christ Easter in Us, Dare to Be Christ: Homilies for the Nineties (Mahwah, NJ.: Paulist Press, 1991), 51. Amen. Let us pray…. Prayer Patient God, you know us better than we want. We like to think that we can fool you with our bravado and high-flung phrases of faith. We hear the story of doubting Thomas and think “What a fool he was!”. We think that we would never have doubted. And in our arrogance we preen and strut about. But you know us fully. You know that we all have our moments of doubts and fears. We all wonder where you are. We want to know that everything is going to turn out for the best. We are frightened. And in our fear we cannot even face our own doubts. Help us to understand your forgiving grace. Help us to know that you understand our weakness and confusion and that your love extends to us in spite of that weakness. Strengthen our faith and our commitment to you. As we have offered prayers for those near and dear to us; as we have lifted situations of darkness and fear before your throne of grace, help us to be people who truly believe that you hear our prayers and answer them. Where we have not seen, give us faith to believe in all you have said and done. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN. (Nancy C. Townley – Ministry Matters) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment The risen Christ appeared to his disciples a week after his resurrection. John tells us Thomas was there (along with the others), and Christ gave them all new energy as he spoke simple words: “peace be with you.” Today, we have opportunity to follow the Christ, giving new energy and hope to those struggling with fear, despair, scarcity, hunger or loneliness. We share the peace of Christ with our neighbors, our sisters and brothers, through offering our time, our talents and our treasure. Your gifts today help provide (use specifics from your own congregation, as you can…or fill in with this general statement:) “hope, abundance, food, relationships and deep peace.” In the coming weeks, our offering will be translated into resources, sharing Christ’s peace with our own community and beyond. As you have been blessed, so now you are invited to become a blessing for others as we receive our morning offering. Offertory Doxology Prayer of Thanksgiving God of Life and Love, we rejoice in the new life the risen Christ continues to bring to a weary world. So receive these gifts, and allow them to be multiplied and translated into all that will become PEACE for our neighbors, near and far. Build us up, that we might grow in our capacity to give, and to live out Christ’s love for each and for all. AMEN (Center for Faith and Giving) Song I Love to Tell the Story - UMH 156 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Peace to you from the One who is and was, and is to come. Grace and peace to you from the One who loves us and frees us, the One who gives us repentance and forgiveness. As God sent Jesus into the world, so the Spirit now sends us to continue God’s holy work. To God be glory and dominion forever and ever! Amen. (Bill Hopp – Ministry Matters) Community Time Benediction Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! We are an Easter people! Live into the hope of Christ’s resurrection! May the grace, hope, peace and love of God our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with you now and always. Amen. (Terri McDowell Ott – Presbyterian Outlook) Children’s Time John 20:19-23 describes Jesus' first postresurrection encounter with the disciples. His appearance tells us two things about his resurrected body. First, he appears inside a locked room; his "new" body is not like the physical body he had before death. Second, his body bears the wounds of crucifixion; his body is still the same. Children will be curious about this. During this encounter, Jesus reassured his disciples that he was indeed alive, and then he put them to work. The message to children is that Easter is not an ending; it is a new chapter in God's work. On Easter evening, Jesus is already looking ahead. He gives his disciples the gift of the Spirit and sends them out, saying, "As the Father sent me, so I send you." To help the children identify what the Father sent Jesus to do, explore key stories about Jesus' ministry. Their challenge is then to find ways to do that kind of work today. Just as Jesus fed the hungry crowd, children can work to help relieve hunger. Just as Jesus befriended the friendless, children can make friends with the lonely people they meet, and so forth. The story of Thomas reassures children that the Risen Lord is still the kind, understanding Jesus. Thomas, who was left out of the first encounter with Jesus, raises the kinds of questions any child might raise. Jesus is not offended by the questions, but honors them and offers to let Thomas touch the wounds, if that's what it takes to answer his questions. In so doing, Jesus blesses all our questions. No honest question is too silly, disrespectful, or unworthy to be asked and answered (or at least discussed). 1. These texts and those for the following Sundays suggest a sermon series about Easter People. Explore who the Easter People are, what they do, and what they are like. Challenge worshipers of all ages to see themselves as Easter People. Consider giving each worshiper a small token, perhaps a plastic or metal cross to carry in a pocket each day during the coming weeks, as a reminder that each of them is one of the Easter People. Ask the choir to sing Avery and Marsh's song, "Every Day Is Easter Day," today and several times during the series. From today's texts we learn that Easter People experience God's peace (John), praise God (Psalms), obey God first (Acts), and are sent to serve (Revelation and John). Additional Illustrations If I were to mention the names of certain disciples to you and ask you to write down the first word that comes into your mind, it is unlikely you would come up with the same words. If I were to mention the name of Judas many of you would write down the word "betray" but not all of you. If I were to mention Simon Peter, some of you would write down the word "faith," but not all of you. If I were to mention the names of James and John, some of you would write down the phrase "Sons of Thunder," but not all of you. But when I mention the word Thomas, there is little question about the word most everyone would write down. It would be the word doubt. Indeed, so closely have we associated Thomas with this word, that we have coined a phrase to describe him: “Doubting Thomas.” You may be interested to know that in the first three gospels we are told absolutely nothing at all about Thomas. It is in John’s Gospel that he emerges as a distinct personality, but even then there are only 155 words about him. There is not a lot about this disciple in the Bible but there is more than one description. When Jesus turned his face toward Jerusalem the disciples thought that it would be certain death for all of them. Surprisingly, it was Thomas who said: Then let us go so that we may die with him. It was a courageous statement, yet we don’t remember him for that. We also fail to point out that in this story of Thomas’ doubt we have the one place in the all the Gospels where the Divinity of Christ is bluntly and unequivocally stated. It is interesting, is it not, that the story that gives Thomas his infamous nickname, is the same story that has Thomas making an earth shattering confession of faith? Look at his confession, “My Lord, and my God.” Not teacher. Not Lord. Not Messiah. But God! It is the only place where Jesus is called God without qualification of any kind. It is uttered with conviction as if Thomas was simply recognizing a fact, just as 2 + 2 = 4, and the sun is in the sky. You are my Lord and my God! These are certainly not the words of a doubter. Unfortunately history has remembered him for this scene where the resurrected Christ made an appearance to the disciples in a home in Jerusalem… ________________________ We Know Where We Are Going The story is told about Albert Einstein, the brilliant physicist of Princeton University in the early 20th century. Einstein was traveling from Princeton on a train, and when the conductor came down the aisle to punch the passengers’ tickets, Einstein couldn’t find his. He looked in his vest pocket, he looked in his pants pocket, he looked in his briefcase, but there was no ticket. The conductor was gracious; “Not to worry, Dr. Einstein, I know who you are, we all know who you are, and I’m sure you bought a ticket.” As the conductor moved down the aisle, he looked back and noticed Einstein on his hands and knees, searching under the seat for his ticket. The conductor returned to Einstein; “Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t worry. I know who you are. You don’t need a ticket, I’m sure you bought one.” Einstein arose and said “Young man, I too know who I am; what I don’t know is where I am going.” And that is the good news of Easter; that we know where we are going. We have been told by the Savior that his life and death has promised us life eternal. And Low Sundays don’t change that promise. And unemployment doesn’t change that promise. Neither does divorce, or bankruptcy, or cancer, or depression, or felony, or failure. Through elation and deflation and every emotion in between, this truth remains; we know whose we are and we know where we are going, because the Son of God has promised. And this, my friends, is faith. Steven Molin, Elated....Deflated Peace Be With You...It Already Is! Theologian Karl Barth once remarked that to say the old line from the creed, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church" does not mean that we believe in the church. It means rather to believe that God is present and at work in the church, that "in this assembly, the work of the Holy Spirit takes place. ... We do not believe in the Church: but we do believe that in this congregation the work of the Holy Spirit becomes an event." Barth's words rang true for me some years ago, when I was invited by a church in a nearby town to be the worship leader at a special evening communion service. The church staff had planned this service to be educational as well as worshipful. The idea was that, first, the congregation would gather in the sanctuary and I would give a brief talk about the meanings of the Lord's Supper. Then, we would go into the fellowship hall and be seated around tables for the service itself. At each table there would be the flour and other ingredients to form the dough for the communion loaves. The plan called for each table to prepare a loaf and, while the loaves baked in the ovens of the church kitchen, the people at each table were to engage in various exercises designed to get them talking about their experiences in the faith. It was a good idea, but like many well-planned events, things looked better on the drawing board than they turned out in reality. There were problems. Children at many tables began to play in the baking ingredients, and white clouds of flour floated around the room coating everybody and everything. There were delays in the kitchen, and the communion bread baked with agonizing slowness. Some of the tables ran out of things to say; children grew weary and fussy; the room was filled with commotion and restlessness. The planners had dreamed of an event of excitement, innovation, peak learning, and moving worship. What happened was noise, exhaustion, and people making the best of a difficult situation. In other words, despite the rosy plans, it was the real church worshipping down there in the church basement. Finally, the service ended, and, with no little relief, I was able to pronounce the benediction. "The peace of Christ be with you all," I said, and just as I did, a child's voice from somewhere in the room called out strong and true, "It already is." Just that -- "It already is" -- but with those words the service was transformed into an event of joy and holy mystery. That small voice captured what the Gospel of John is trying to say. In the midst of a church that can claim nothing for itself, a church of noise, confusion, weariness, and even fear, the risen Christ comes to give peace. The peace of Christ be with you? Because the risen Christ comes to inhabit our empty places, then, as the child said, "It already is," and the church with nothing becomes the church with everything. Thomas G. Long, Whispering The Lyrics, CSS Publishing Watch and You'll See This story is about three accountants who doubted their three engineer friends. They were traveling by train to a conference. The accountants bought three tickets, but the engineers only bought one. "How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" an accountant asked. "Watch and you'll see," said an engineer. They all boarded the train. The accountants took their seats, but the three engineers crammed into a restroom and closed the door behind them. The train departed the station and soon the conductor came through the car asking for tickets. He knocked on the restroom door and said, "Ticket, please." The door opened a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor took it and moved on. The accountants agree that this is a rather clever idea so after the conference, they decide to duplicate the engineers' feat. They buy only one ticket, but are astonished when the engineers buy no ticket at all! "How are you going to travel without a ticket?" the accountants ask. Watch and you'll see, reply the engineers. When they boarded the train, the accountants crammed into a restroom with their ticket while the three engineers did the same in a nearby restroom. After the train departed the station, one of the engineers left the restroom and walked over to the restroom where the accountants were hiding. He knocked on the door and said, "Ticket, please." Author unknown Just Because We Can't See It A junior high school teacher was telling her class about evolution and how the way everything in the world was formed proved that God doesn’t exist. She said, “Look out the window. You can’t see God, can you?” The kids shook their heads. “Look around you in this room. You can’t see God, can you?” The kids shook their heads. “Then our logical conclusion is that God doesn’t exist, does He?” she asked at last, certain that she had won her audience over. But one girl from the back of the classroom said, “Miss Smith, just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We could do brain surgery and investigate the parts of your brain and we could do a CAT scan and see the brain patterns in your head. But we couldn’t prove that you’ve had a single thought today. Does that mean that you haven’t thought anything today? Just ‘cause you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” Seeing is believing, right? But, “just ‘cause you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” C. T. Powell, "Seeing Is Believing" What’s the Good Word? A student from Korea was complaining about how difficult it is to learn the English language. He felt that American idioms were particularly difficult to comprehend. He said that he had studied English for nine years in preparation for attending the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. On his first day at the school, as he was walking across the campus, an American student casually greeted him with, "Hi, What's the good word?" The Korean boy stopped dead in his tracks. He thought to himself: "I don't know the good word! You would have thought that after nine years of studying English, someone would have told me what "˜the good word' was!" Later, trying to solve this puzzle, he decided to turn the tables and ask an American, "What's the good word?" and listen to his reply. So, approaching a fellow student, he repeated, "Hi! What's the good word?" The quick response was, "Oh, not much. How about you?" It was obvious that neither of these students knew what the good word was. It's a rather plastic greeting. But I can tell you the good word for today: Christ the Lord is risen. That's the Good Word. And because it is; it says a great deal about our lives. Brett Blair and King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com I Just Have Questions Some of you are familiar with Jerry Kramer—he used to play professional football—now he writes. In one of his books he reflects on his own mortality. He says: "I think a lot about death these days, which is funny too, because I’ve never been healthier. I’ve had only one serious illness in the past ten years—only one near-death experience. I haven’t broken a bone, not even a finger, since I stopped playing football. And yet, now more than ever, I sense that I’m mortal." He confesses: "A year ago, I lost my father to cancer, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over his death. In some ways, I think it was more difficult for the family than it was for him. Dad was a very religious man and he was ready to go. Sometimes I wish I had that kind of faith—but I don’t. I just have questions." "Taking Their Word for It," by Dr. Leigh Bond Joy I recently saw a news report about an Army veteran named John Crabtree who had been receiving benefits from the government. Evidently he had been wounded in Vietnam and was now on permanent disability. One day, out of the blue, he received an official notification from the government of his own death. Needless to say, this was quite a shock! Mr. Crabtree wrote the government a letter stating that he was indeed very much alive and would like to continue receiving his benefits. The letter did no good. He then tried calling the government. (Have you ever tried to call the government? This required the patience of Job and the persistence of Noah!) The phone calls didn't change the situation either. Finally, as a last resort, the veteran contacted a local television station, which ran a human-interest story about his situation. During the interview, the reporter asked him, "How do you feel about this whole ordeal?" The veteran chuckled and said, "Well, I feel a little frustrated by it. After all, have you ever tried to prove that you're alive?" That's a pretty good question for all of us. Could you prove that you are alive? Really, genuinely, deep-down alive? When was the last time you had an alive moment? Not the last time you took a breath or had your heart beat inside your chest, but the last time you felt yourself alive to your living, alive to your loving, deeply present with the gift of life itself?" R. Scott Colglazier, Finding a Faith That Makes Sense, St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1996, 116-117. A Seeking Doubt Someone described Thomas' doubt as a "seeking doubt, a doubt that wants not to continue to doubt but to come to believe." Thomas makes it clear to us that there is more than one kind of doubt. There is the kind of doubt that does not want to believe, that reaches for arguments in order to deny the affirmations of the faith. But there is also that "seeking doubt." This is a person who earnestly wants to believe but honestly admits that he struggles to understand. This kind of doubt actually energizes and expands faith. Mickey Anders, A Doubt That Leads to Faith, ChristianGlobe Networks __________________________ Bereavement Visions vs. Resurrection Visions I was traumatized by a tragic death several years ago, so I am personally familiar with the phenomena that bereaved people experience. I can speak out of personal experience. Right off the bat I can see very significant differences between bereavement visions and the resurrection accounts. I was the only person who saw my bereavement visions, and I was very much aware at the time that they weren’t part of the reality I live in. I saw them out of the corner of my eye, in a flash, in a dream, or in the foggy moments while awakening from sleep. The vision went away as soon as I looked at it directly or became fully awake. The visions were momentary and fleeting, but they were comforting and helped me make peace with what I had witnessed. From what I have read, my experience was normal and typical for a person who had witnessed a tragic death. The resurrection accounts do not fit this pattern. There were multiple witnesses who were all wide awake at the time, the duration of the incidents was too long, and skeptics, such as Thomas, could see them. Thomas was not an exceptional case. All of the disciples were skeptical of the resurrection until they saw the Risen Jesus, only then were they convinced, and the resurrection appearances did not comfort them, they emboldened and energized them. Bereavement visions comfort the bereaved; they do not end the bereavement, as the resurrection appearances did. Bereavement visions certainly do not charge up a person to the degree that they can evangelize the world and march fearlessly into death! There is no doubt in my mind that the disciples must have experienced the same sort of bereavement phenomena as I did. However, the resurrection accounts in the gospels are something entirely different. Whatever the resurrection accounts are, they are not the phenomena that accompany bereavement. I have heard a lot of Thomas-bashing in sermons and in Sunday school, but notice it does not occur in this passage. No one criticizes or rebukes Thomas for his lack of faith or for his skepticism. The passage does not tell us about how they put Thomas in his place, rather it tells us how Thomas was surprised! Thomas says he won’t believe until he can see for himself that Jesus is alive. What happens next? Do they heard Jesus’ voice booming through the room, rebuking Thomas and imposing some penalty on him? No! Jesus immediately appears and meets his demands! Jesus did not criticize Thomas for wanting physical evidence, but rather blessed those who believe without it. So if Jesus didn’t penalize Thomas for doubting the resurrection, He certainly won’t penalize you if you have misgivings about it. You are not saved by your beliefs but by your faith; by your reliance on Jesus Christ. Ken Collins, A Surprise Appearance _____________________________ No Substitutes Sometime back a writer at the web site www.TheOnion.com published a fake press release. The press release was touting an imaginary snack food meant to ease what the writer called, the "hideously bleak emptiness of modern life." The writer described this snack like this: "We're proud to introduce T.C. McCrispee's as the antidote you've been reaching out for. Our tasty new snack cracker will, if only for a few lovely moments, significantly lessen the aching, gnawing angst that haunts your very soul." According to this press release, participants in taste tests testified that the "satisfying crunch distracted them from the parade of tears that is life." A fictitious spokesperson summed up the campaign by saying: "We're selling the salty, unctuous illusions of happiness." And, of course, it is an illusion. Peace is not found in a snack food. Or a chemical. What are drugs--or alcohol, for that matter--but an inferior way to chemically induce peace of mind? Jesus said, "Peace be with you." But how and where do we find that peace? King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com ____________________________ Doubt is not the opposite of Faith, but a part of it. As the poet Tennyson put it: “There lives more faith in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half the creeds.” It is significant that the English word “belief” is related to the word “love”. Originally, the things that people “believed” were what they held “beloved”. For too long the dogmas and doctrines of the Church have effectively locked the doors to keep out the doubters. Thomas’s doubt is not non-belief in some credal statement or other, but a lack of confidence to trust in the present reality of the Love of God. Keith Whyte

The Miraculous Sign of Jesus

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington August 1, 2021 John 6:24-35 10th Sunday after Pentecost Year B The Miraculous Sign of Jesus Opening Song Welcome (no need to print) Leader: Today we give thanks to God for our musicians and for their faithful service in the ministry of music. Called in baptism and equipped with musical gifts, they have led the people of God in singing the new song of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Call to Worship O Lord, open our lips, and our mouth will proclaim your praise. It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night. Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. - Psalm 92:1-2; 95:1-2 Stewardship Moment In the life of every congregation, the recognition comes of the variety of gifts which have been given to different individuals. Some gifts might be over-looked until they become necessities. Knowing how to use a wet vac may seem superfluous until the basement floods! Aptitude with a tow truck may seem an unlikely gift until the church van breaks down with five youth and their sponsors on board. And who knew how important You Tube and Facebook would be for a functioning congregation until COVID closed down our “normal” means of communicating and sharing worship! Every individual has received gifts for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of ministry! How will you share the gifts you’ve received? Perhaps in direct action, and perhaps also in monetizing your gift and sharing financially from the work of your hands/hearts. As we receive our morning offering, consider how your gift/s will build up the body of Christ. Without you and your gift/s, we cannot come to maturity, Paul writes. It takes ALL of us, working and sharing together, to help reach the full stature of Christ! Let us receive our morning tithes, gifts and offerings. Prayer of Thanksgiving Holy Giver of every good and perfect gift, Thank you for this opportunity to claim the gifts we’ve been given. Challenge each one of us to recognize what we have received and how we can best use these gifts to proclaim our love for you. Thank you for this time to offer our gifts to build up of the body of Christ. AMEN Song In Christ there is not East or West UMH 548 Scripture John 6:24-35 John 6:24-35 Common English Bible 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Bread of life 26 Jesus replied, “I assure you that you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27 Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One[a] will give you. God the Father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.” 28 They asked, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?” 29 Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.” 30 They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”[b] 32 Jesus told them, “I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said, “Sir,[c] give us this bread all the time!” 35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Sermon The Miraculous Sign of Jesus So it looks like the COVID saga continues – we continue to struggle with what it means to return to normal. I hope that as we each work to answer that question for ourselves that we all stay safe. One of the favorite pastimes of the COVID era has been eating. Statistics say that most people have gained 10 -20 pounds more this past year – because what do we do when we are stressed – we eat. Eating is a basic need in life for all of us. And the basic staple of any meal? Bread. I think that most of us at some point in this last year has went to the store to get a loaf of bread ( even if it is a low carb bread – we still have some sort of bread. At $2 a loaf, many of us take the loaf of bread for granted. But in reality, throughout human history it has been one of the most important things in life. Perhaps that is why When Jesus was trying to tell others about who God is – the first metaphor that he can think of – a loaf of bread. When people want to know who he is – he says I am the bread of life. The lectionary spends 5 Sundays on this one symbol of God. We are only going to look at the gospel lesson this one Sunday. This is the only chapter in the bible that is stretched out this long. Usually, when John 6 comes up I wonder, how you can get 5 sermons out of one metaphor. But this year as I reviewed this lesson, I got so much more out of it besides bread, food, being hungry and being fed by Jesus. There is a whole story behind this metaphor. John’s point in telling this story is that there are two levels in every situation in life. There is the obvious things that we see with our eyes, and there is a sub story to look at where the real message is. Jesus is traveling throughout the countryside teaching and meeting needs. When he feeds the people when they are hungry – they want to make him king. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could be fed all of the time. This is a man of God with special powers, we need him in our lives. Jesus wants no part of this plan, first he escapes with his disciples. When that doesn’t work, he hides by himself. And the people still find him. Give us this bread all of the time! Moses gave the people manna when they were hungry. Give us the same signs so that we can believe in God. Jesus has to explain to them that Moses did not give them bread – God provided for them. All throughout the new testament Jesus tells his followers not to look for signs. God is not in miracles and signs, God is in our faith. Time and time when Jesus tries to explain who God is, the people get so caught up on the obvious story they get it wrong. When Jesus tells us that he is the temple of God – the people start to look at a building, when Jesus tells Nicodemus about being born again – we tries to figure out how to go back into his mother’s womb. When Jesus tells the woman that he is living water, she looks at Jacob’s well looking for water. So when Jesus says I am the bread of life – the people think he is a bread maker that will produce bread at will. This story would be funny if it didn’t apply to all of us – still looking for a sign and a miracle. We still pray that God will end COVID, we are still hoping that once it is over that God’s gift will be losing 10 pounds without doing exercise. If God will just give us brighter days – our problems will be over and we will praise him. Jesus says that He is the bread of life – but Jesus also tells us what that does not mean – it does not mean a lifetime of free bread. It does not mean the answer to all of our prayers. It doesn’t mean someone who constantly gives in order to justify going to church. The miracles of life and the hope is deeper than that. O Benjamin Sparks, “We are accustomed to inviting people into the community of faith for all the wrong reasons: for the "right" kind of worship; for political engagement on behalf of the poor and downtrodden; for the sake of a Christian America; for a strong youth and family ministry; for the opportunity to practice mission in a downtown location, or to go on mission trips to Africa or Central America. Yet what we have to offer—in Christ and by Christ and because of Christ—first and foremost is "soul food," which lasts forever and does not change with the changing circumstances of the church or the world. It is soul food that we desire, and soul food in which we will rejoice, long after our bellies are full of rice and our lives know justice in a free society.” Feasting on the Word – Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season After Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16) A few years ago, there was this bread company called Great Harvest bread company – they had stores in a few places that I used to live. Actually, I really don’t care much for bread. But I would love to go to this store – because whenever you went in there was an employee who would cut any piece of bread that you wanted and let you put butter on it and eat it right there. That is what the church is – a bread store – giving out free pieces of Jesus – butter and all! All of us come to church for many different reasons, we are looking for different things, we have different expectations. Jesus is here for us all – not with easy answers, but with faith answers. When the people are looking for bread in this lesson, Jesus tells them that he is the bread of life. all we have to do is believe. Believe God. Believe that Jesus is the son of God. We don’t know when this saga will end, we do not know anything about the future. But we do know that God is the God of peace, of wholeness, of love. That all things come to be in God’s time. Jesus is the bread of life – if we believe then we will be hungry no more. As we take communion – let us remember that Jesus is the bread of life – if we believe we will have more than enough to get by. Amen Prayer and acknowledgement of all who are a part of the music Ministry Creator God, because you make all that draws forth our praise and the forms in which to express it, we praise you. Because you make artists of us all, awakening courage to look again at what is taken for granted, grace to share these insights with others, vision to reveal the future already in being, we praise you. Because you form your Word among us, and in your great work embrace all human experience, even death itself, inspiring our resurrection song, we praise you. Yours is the glory. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, In the waters of baptism you have gifted us for ministry in your church and in the world. We give you thanks for the ministry of music and faithful service of these your children. To all whom they have inspired in the arts, bring your blessing. Strengthen them in every future endeavor and bring to fruition their work to enliven your Word in us through music. Empower us to sing your resurrection song with fervor and to regard music as a lively expression of your gospel and a gift of your making. Amen All join together: Be with all your servants who make art and music for your people, that with joy, we on earth may glimpse your beauty, and bring us to the fulfillment of that hope of perfection, which will be ours as we stand before you. Amen Song One Bread One Body 620 Communion Invitation to Communion (from John 6:35) (don’t print) For many, bread has become part of the “eat sparingly” list, because of gluten, calories or too many other good things to fill our bellies. But for most of the world today, and for the people of Jesus’ world, bread is/was an essential — a basic part of every meal. So it makes sense Jesus uses “bread” as a way of describing his essential nature – “the bread of life”. When we come to the Table today, we find the essentials here: some symbolic or emblematic form of food and drink. Behind these simple elements is the solid truth of Jesus as essential to life. For those present in the sanctuary, our bread is ________________. If you’re worshipping online, I hope you have some essential elements (bread, cracker, chip, cookie, along with wine, juice, milk&honey). Together, let us “come to Jesus”, sharing these emblems of life, and actively remembering our Lord as our hungry hearts are satisfied. Announcements Closing Prayer Creator God, you have made us in your image to reflect your goodness. You have called us to use our gifts to build your kingdom. As we begin this day, we seek to reflect your image. Help us not only to focus on how to develop our creativity, but also to seek the wisdom to use our skills to your glory, and for the building up of the people we serve. In the name of Christ and through the Holy Spirit we pray. God of majesty, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be with your servants who make art and music for your people, that with joy we on earth may glimpse your beauty; and bring us to the fulfillment of that hope of perfection which will be ours as we stand before your unveiled glory. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Benediction Children’s Sermon God's recipe John 6:42 Object: a bowl of flour Good morning, boys and girls. (Show them the bowl of flour.) What do you think I have in this bowl? (Let them respond.) It's flour. What is flour made from? (Let them respond.) It's made from wheat. It grows in the field and when it's ready, the farmer harvests the wheat and grinds it into flour. What is flour good for? (Let them respond.) It's good for cooking! It looks pretty ordinary to me. What can we cook with flour? (Let them respond.) We can make bread, gravy, cookies, crackers, pancakes, waffles, cakes and pies. We can also make a play clay from flour and even paste can be made from flour. How can I do that with just an ordinary bowl of flour? (Let them respond.) We have to add other things to the flour to make different foods from flour. If I had an egg, some milk and a little oil, I can make pancakes. If I add the same things; egg, milk and oil, it can also become cake! Does a cake LOOK like a pancake or TASTE like pancakes? (Let them respond.) No, it doesn't. So what is it that makes it a cake or a pancake? (Let them respond.) It's how many eggs, how much milk and how many spoons of oil that makes it a cake or a pancake. But it all starts with plain, old, ordinary flour! Our lesson today is a story about Jesus. He was talking to some people that knew him when he was just plain old ordinary Jesus. The people were surprised at the things he said. They talked to each other and said, "Isn't this Jesus? We know his parents. Who does he think he is?" They knew Jesus and decided that Jesus was ordinary. They decided that ordinary people wouldn't say the things he did. They wouldn't listen to him. They got angry with Jesus. They didn't realize how special Jesus was! Sometimes we think and act like we're ordinary. But we're not ordinary like the people thought Jesus was supposed to be. We're special because we have some other ingredients mixed up with us just like this flour gets other things added to it to make different foods. What do you think we have added to us? (Let them respond.) We have a special ingredient - it's love. Just stir us up. Add a little love from God and mix well. That made Jesus special, too. He was following God's recipe and we can, too. God's recipe says to add love and mix well. Love makes us all special and not ordinary at all. CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, , by CSS Additional Illustrations • . • Sometime this week you will make a trip to the grocery store to get a loaf of bread. It will be readily available on the shelf. There will be quite a variety to choose from. You will pay little attention to the price, not realizing that the packaging that the bread is wrapped in actually costs more than the wheat that is in the bread. All in all, you will think it a very uneventful trip, but you will be wrong. • • It is quite difficult for me, as an American, to understand the importance of bread unless I turn on my TV and watch what is going on in so many parts of the world today. When there is no staff of life there is suffering and famine. A simple loaf of bread: Something, which we do not give a second thought, but in certain parts of the world it means life itself. • • It is only as we comprehend that situation that we can really begin to understand the importance of bread not only now but also in the time of Jesus. Just think for a moment how so many significant theological events in the Bible revolve around the subject of bread. The most important event in the Old Testament of course, was the Exodus event--the trip from Egypt to the Promised Land. But what caused the Hebrews to be in Egypt in the first place? It was for want of bread you will recall. The wheat crop had failed due to drought, and the Hebrews had migrated to the land of the Pharaoh because there was a surplus in storage there. It was bread, or the lack of it, that initiated this whole chain of events... • One of everyone’s favorite past times during this past Covid year and a half, especially during lock down, was food! Eating. And eating. And eating. And eating. • • The average person reported gaining 10 to 20 pounds during the past year in the US alone. Some even more. Why? Three factors stand out. 1) Increased stress about the virus or to be exact “stress-eating,” 2) lack of gym access and general exercise, and 3) lack of socialization (loneliness, isolation, depression, and separation from loved ones and friends). Never before have we realized just how much we depended on each other for our mental and physical and emotional and spiritual health. • • Covid not only reminded us about what happens economically and culturally when we function in the extreme as individual units instead of as communities but what happens to us mentally, spiritually, and emotionally when we are confronted by isolation, when our relationships are cut off and socialization shuts down. • • In 1943, a psychologist by the name of Abraham Maslow in his paper on human motivation, laid out a chart called the human hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s theory tells us that our most basic human needs are physiological. We need food, water, and rest to live....

Let's Get up and See the Light

January 7, 2018 Isaiah 60: 1-6 Let’s Get Up Epiphany Sunday Isaiah 60:1-6Common English Bible (CEB) Jerusalem’s coming radiance 60 Arise! Shine! Your light has come; the LORD’s glory has shone upon you. 2 Though darkness covers the earth and gloom the nations, the LORD will shine upon you; God’s glory will appear over you. 3 Nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning radiance. 4 Lift up your eyes and look all around: they are all gathered; they have come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters on caregivers’ hips. 5 Then you will see and be radiant; your heart will tremble and open wide, because the sea’s abundance will be turned over to you; the nations’ wealth will come to you. 6 Countless camels will cover your land, young camels from Midian and Ephah. They will all come from Sheba, carrying gold and incense, proclaiming the LORD’s praises. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Isaiah 60:1-5 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." (v. 1) How many of you are afraid of the dark? (Let them answer.) Are you afraid to sleep with the light off? Don’t be embarrassed to admit it! It will be our little secret, just between you and me. What is it that scares you about the dark? (Let them answer.) Maybe it’s the way an ordinary thing in your room like a basketball hoop or a lamp or a large doll can look like a scary monster in the shadows of your vivid imaginations. Maybe it’s the way you lie in the dark and think about something scary you saw on television or in a movie. Maybe it’s the way your house or apartment is quiet when it is dark, which means that you can hear every little noise at night. Maybe you just don’t feel safe because you can’t see, and that is what makes the dark so scary. Well, most people stop being afraid of the dark as they get older, but there is another kind of darkness which scares even grown-ups. I am talking about moral darkness, the darkness of wrong and evil. There is a lot of that darkness in the world, and it is scary because it keeps us from God. Young and old alike, we all must struggle to know and do what is right, to see and follow the light of good amid the darkness of what is bad. Today we celebrate Epiphany and talk about how the light of God appeared in the world when Christ was born and made known to the world. The three wise men who visited the baby Jesus were among the first to see this light, but people had talked about it many centuries before. In fact, an ancient Hebrew prophet named Isaiah had written, "Arise, shine, for your light has come." Elsewhere, he had written, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined" (9:2). For all people who were lost in darkness and couldn’t find their way to God, Jesus has come to be their light and show us the way. When you wake up from a bad dream in the middle of the night, think of how happy you are when your mother comes into your room and turns on the light. Then, after you have calmed down, she leaves the light on, and you aren’t scared any more. That’s sort of how we all feel now that Jesus is in the world. The light of goodness and salvation has been turned on in our souls, and we who were walking in darkness have seen the light. We aren’t scared anymore. Whenever you are tempted to do or say something you know is wrong, you are getting ready to enter this moral darkness I am talking about. It isn’t a darkness you can see, like the night is dark; instead, it is a darkness inside which tries to take you away from God. But now we have Jesus Christ to be our light. Whenever we wonder what is the right or wrong thing to do, we have the example of Jesus to show us the right. Learn the stories of His life. Learn the stories He told and the lessons He taught; talk to your parents about Him. The thick darkness which has covered the peoples no longer is quite so thick or scary, because now that Jesus Christ is in the world, we see that our light has come. Amen. CSS Publishing Co., Inc., More Urgent Season, A, by Erskine White Everything seems so bare in here without all of the Christmas decorations. It is time to put everything back in the box, it is time to take the lights down, time to go back to life as normal. But actually we have one more Sunday of Christmas. We have just a little bit of unfinished business to take care of. It is important for us not to think of this as an ending but a beginning. I love this poem by Howard Thurman, a united Methodist pastor When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and the princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among brothers, To make music in the heart. Christmas may be over, but the work of Christmas has just begun. That is why I thought that it was more important for us to honor Epiphany Sunday, than the baptism of our Lord. 12 days of Christmas ended yesterday. January 6th. That is epiphany, today January 7th is actually supposed to be the baptism of our Lord Sunday. For the church epiphany means a manifestation of the holy. The secular definition of epiphany is a revelation. Something that has been standing before you all of the time, but one day it hits you, and it makes sense in a way that you never thought of. Epiphany is a very strange season, a sort of off time between Christmas and lent. I just want to give everyone a heads up – Easter comes early this year. It will be on April 1st. That means that Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season is February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Until then we are in epiphany season. The time when all of the lights are taken down. The time when the days are cold and dark. A time when not much is going on. Even our Scripture, Isaiah 60:2 says see , darkness covers the earth. A thick darkness covers the people. Sometimes it can seem like the darkness is not just all around us, but the darkness seeps in our soul and gets the best of us. The good news for us as Isaiah continues is that it is only in the darkness that we can truly see the light of God. It is only in the darkness that people are searching for answers, it is only in the darkness – that we have an epiphany – a realization that was not there before. A glimpse of the holy, of the divine. We celebrate January 6th – because it took twelve days for the wise men to find baby Jesus. They saw a star in the darkness and realized that God was sending a message of hope for the future. Even though Jesus was born in a place and a time – his mission would touch not just his family, his neighbors but all of the world. The words of Isaiah 60: 1-6 are important. The first words of the scripture – arise, in the midst of the darkness your light has come. That light is Jesus Christ. Christmas is the time that we acknowledge that Christ has come into the world. Epiphany is the time for us to take it to heart. T o believe it for ourselves. For us to not just look at the lights, but to feel the lights and to be the light for a still very dark world. It is time for us to think about what it means to be a believer. What difference does it make, what difference do I make. The special theme of Epiphany is that God has revealed himself to all people everywhere. This is an important truth. God is the God of all people and all nations. Epiphany does not last very long, it is just a glimpse of realization of the light, and then we are plunged back into darkness. Our task in the darkness is to ask ourselves and to ask all others, where is God in all of this. Where can we find God in the midst of the darkness. We have to find Christ as the answer to the darkness for ourselves. So that we can let our light shine within. There are a couple of things we need to see at the opening of this New year. THE FIRST IS THAT WE ARE KEEPERS OF THE LIGHT. That is what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ. We have seen his light. And it is our job to make certain the light we have seen is kept burning until his return. Back in the 1770s or 1780s, a man named John Morris built a house in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. Using flint and steel, John Morris started a fire in his fireplace. And nobody knows why, but it became a point of pride in the Morris household not to let that fire go out. When John built another cabin for his family later on, coals from the original fire were transplanted to the fireplace of the new house. Members of the Morris family proudly declared that they would keep the fire going, to honor the wishes of John, who had charged his family, "œThe fire must never be allowed to go out." That fire became the catalyst for passing down family history through the generations. In the 1920s, the care of the fire rested with one man, William Morris --the great-great-grandson of John Morris. William had never married or had children, and he was nearing eighty. He tried to inspire his nieces and nephews with tales of the family fire, but none of them seemed interested in keeping the fire alive after William was gone. The fire was 150 years old by now. It marked a proud family tradition, one that everyone in the area admired. Would that tradition end once William died? William took it upon himself to see that it didn't. From an interview in the Spartanburg Herald, his story spread to newspapers all over North Carolina. William was invited to Washington, D.C., to tell the story over a national radio program. He began getting phone calls and letters from all over the country, many from people with the last name Morris. The National Park Service considered buying William's cabin, fireplace and all, and moving it to one of their national parks, where it could become a tourist attraction and the park rangers could tend to the fire. By now the "œSaluda fire," named after the town where William Morris lived, had sparked the public imagination. Preserving the Saluda fire seemed like a noble undertaking. One day, not long after the publicity stir over the fire had started, one of William's neighbors came to see him. The neighbor, Hamp Alexander Owen, had only one thing to say that day, "œI've come to tell you that I'll keep your fire going." Owens wasn't doing it for the publicity or the glory. He just admired the legacy, and believed that it was worth preserving. We don't know when William Morris died. But when Hamp Alexander Owens died in 1948, his obituary stated that he was "œthe keeper of the Saluda fire." The fire itself had been burning continuously for more than 170 years. But that is the last record anyone has of the Saluda fire. Did it die out? Or is it still burning somewhere, tended by some anonymous soul who believes in what it stands for? We just don't know. (4) We are the keepers of a fire that has been burning for 2,000 years. Arise and Shine – your light has come! Additional illustrations…… Following a long and bitter congregational conflict, a pastor was asked what kept her going until reconciliation and renewal finally resulted. She replied, "The Five P's of ministry: Prayer, Persistence, Prayer, Play, and Prayer." Notice that prayer was at the beginning, middle, and end of her list. Prayer connects us to the true Light. Prayer keeps the vision of the true Light in view as darkness threatens to overcome it. Prayer enables us to place one foot in front of the other in the long and difficult journey through unknown darkness. Reach for the true Light in prayer. Lift up your eyes to see the guiding light of Christ along your life journey. There appear to be several significant factors present in healthy, vital, faithful congregations. Although there are many variables, one principal feature has emerged. This is the eagerness of members to share faith stories, their journey in the Light with one another and in their neighborhoods. Members eagerly share "Where Is God In All This?" stories for themselves and their congregations. They share them as part of committee and choir devotions, in temple talks during worship, in Sunday School classes, and in parish retreats. No, they are not "fanatics." They are just like you and me, struggling against the darkness that threatens to overcome us all. More than today's typical "sideline" Christian, these folks have let God become the subject of more verbs in their vocabularies. They have taken seriously Isaiah's call to arise, and shine, for they know that their Light, our Light, has indeed come. It is like a children’s story that author James Thurber once wrote titled, “The White Deer.” “The White Deer” is about a beautiful princess who had been transformed by a witch into a white deer. A king named King Clode and his three sons (Thag and Gallow, the hunters, and Jorn, the poet) are out hunting game and they come upon this white deer and they raise their bows to slay it. Just before they shoot, however, the deer is changed back into the princess. King Clode and his sons take this beautiful princess home with them but she is unable to remember anything about her past including who she is. It is finally discovered that the only thing that will cause the princess to regain her memory is the unconditional love of a young man. In order to determine who this young man will be--Thag, Gallow and Jorn are each given perilous tasks to perform. It is Jorn the poet who ultimately wins the princess’ hand. He gives her the kind of love that allows her to remember where she came from and who she is. (3) My friends, is this not what God has called us to do for a fallen world? By His grace we are to show the world the unfailing love of God at work in our lives so that the world may truly see where it came from and why it exists.

Happy Are The Feet of those who Tell the Gospel

August 10, 2014 Romans 10:5-15 9th Sunday After Pentecost Happy are the Feet of those who tell the good news! Year A The importance of Romans We have been studying the book of Romans in bible study, very rich lesson, as a matter of fact, one of our most productive lessons. Romans is a very rich book, so I thought it would be important for me to preach on it while I have the chance. In our study of Genesis and the first family, we have been talking about the meaning of the promise of God, what that promise was, who that promise was made to and what are the implications of being truly blessed. The promisedland continues to be in the news as the Palestinians and the Jews continue to be at war with one another, and many innocent people on either side continue to get killed. As the violence in the middle east continues to escalate, we have to be careful not to take sides from a conflict that we are removed from. On the one hand some of us believe that the Jews are God’s chosen people and that we should not interfere with God’s promise to them. And yet the new testament also has verse like in Romans, where Paul says that the jews messed up and were not faithful, which is why God extended his promise to others. It is easy to interpret chapters 9-11 of Romans as Paul being critical of how own people. He says that the law never worked, and no matter how hard we try, that following the law never works, we never live up to what the law expects of us. And yet Paul says that God’s grace is big enough to save us all, even the jews. Paul’s prayer and our prayer that God’s grace will prevail and children will stop dying. That is the message of Romans. Many of our church fathers and mothers do indeed consider Romans to be the greatest lesson of the bible. Everything we need to understand about salvation is in Romans. Cant cover it all in one sermon. Just want to point the Roman Road. Looking at all of Romans and pointing out the scriptures that lead to salvation. Romans Road The first verse on the Romans Road to salvation isRomans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent.Romans 3:10-18gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives. The second Scripture on the Romans Road to salvation,Romans 6:23, teaches us about the consequences of sin - "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death! The third verse on the Romans Road to salvation picks up whereRomans 6:23left off, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."Romans 5:8declares, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus' death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus' resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus' death as the payment for our sins. The fourth stop on the Romans Road to salvation isRomans 10:9, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved!Romans 10:13says it again, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The final aspect of the Romans Road to salvation is the results of salvation.Romans 5:1has this wonderful message, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God.Romans 8:1teaches us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God fromRomans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Would you like to follow the Romans Road to salvation? If so, here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ can provide salvation! "God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!" Have you made a decision for Christ because of what you have learned through the Romans Road to salvation? If so, please click on the "I have accepted Christ today" button below. Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Romans-road-salvation.html#ixzz39wLwtrFj FOUR WORDS The great English statement and man of God William Wilberforce once wrote that "Christianity can be condensed into four words: admit, [Christ as Lord] submit, [To Christ as Lord] commit, [Our lives to doing His will] and transmit [The Love of God to a dying world]." (Draper's Quotes, Accessed QuickVerse Platinum 2010) Samuel Wilberforce (1805--1873) The Other Half of the Gospel A MAN came to me one day in Chicago and said, “I want to talk with you.” Mr. Moody was away, so I took him into Mr. Moody’s room, and asked, “What do you want to talk with me about?” He said, “I am a Scotchman. When I was seven years old over in Scotland, I started to read my Bible through. Before I had read long, I came to a place where it said that if a man should keep the law of God a hundred years, and then break it, he was under the curse of a broken law. Is that right?” “Well,” I said, “the Bible does not put it in just those words, but it amounts to that. It says, ‘Cursed is every man that continueth not in all the things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them.’ ” “Well,” he said, “that is what I found, and I knew I had already broken the law of God, though I was only seven years old, and I was under the curse of a broken law. I was plunged into the deepest distress. Though I was only a child of seven, I wept over my sins often by day and often by night. I was in distress of soul for a whole year, but I kept on reading my Bible, and at last I got over to the New Testament, and read John 3:16, ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ I saw that Jesus died for my sins, and my burden all rolled away, and I was perfectly happy. Was I converted?” “Well,” I said, “that sounds like an evangelical conversion.” “Wait a moment,” he said, “and listen to the rest of my story. I grew up to manhood; I moved to America; I came over here to Chicago; I went to work in the stockyards, and live down there. You know it is a hard place. I have got to drinking, and every little while I go off on a drunk. Now, what I want to know is this, is there any way I can get victory over drink and over all sin?” “You have come just to the right place to get an answer to your question,” I replied, “I can tell you the way. You have only believed half the Gospel, and therefore you’ve got only half a salvation. Listen to the whole Gospel.” I opened my Bible to 1 Cor. 15:1–4 and I read, “ ‘This is the Gospel that I have preached unto you … that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.’ That is the first half of the Gospel but it is only half. Listen as I read on and you will see the other half, ‘And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.’ Do you believe that half of the Gospel also? You have already believed in Christ crucified and found pardon and peace, but the rest of the Gospel is that Christ rose again. Do you believe that?” “Oh, yes,” he said, “I believe everything in the Bible.” I said, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ rose again?” He said, “I do.” “Do you believe He has all power in heaven and on earth as He said He had?” He said, “I do.” “Well, if He has all power in heaven and on earth, He has power to set you free from the power of sin. Do you believe that?” “Yes, I do.” “Will you trust Him to do it now? You have believed half the Gospel, you have got half a salvation. You have believed in a crucified Christ and got pardon; now will you believe in a risen Christ and get victory? Will you trust Him now as the risen Saviour to set you free from the drink and other sin?” He said, “I will.” “Let us kneel down and tell God so.” We knelt down. I prayed and he prayed. After he had prayed he looked up and said, “Lord Jesus, I have believed half the Gospel that Thou didst die in my place and I have found pardon and peace through believing it. I now believe the other half of the Gospel that you rose again and have all power in heaven and on earth and have power to set me free from drink and sin and I trust you to do it. Set me free now.” When he had finished, I said, “Do you really trust Him to do it?” He said, “I do.” We got up. I gave him a few words of advice and we separated. In a few weeks I received a letter from him, a very short letter, but very much to the point. He said, “I am so glad I came to see you. It works.” Thank God it does work. A crucified Christ brings pardon; a risen Christ brings deliverance from the power of sin the moment you believe. Entering a crowded street car, with his Bible under his arm, a young minister soon became the brunt of sneering remarks and wisecracks from the group of fellows. These remarks continued, and when the minister left the car, one youth said, “Say, mister, how far is it to heaven?” The Christian replied, “It is only a step; will you take it now?” The gospel has two powerful messages, Christ died to take away our sins, and in rising, he gave us the power to live a new life. Everday that I read something in the bible, I discover a new powerful verse. In Romans 10, Paul says that salvation is dependent on believing, and believing is dependent on hearing, and how can they hear unless someone tells them? George Sweeting, in his book "The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing," tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was FOUND GUILTY of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee. In 1968, Currier’s sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told hard year after hard year. Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier’s plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man. Sweeting concluded the story by asking, "Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message-the most important in your life-and year after year the urgent message was never delivered?" And whose responsibility is it to spread the goodnews. Paul says happy are the feet of those who spread the gospel. But what does it mean to have happy feet? : I want to close with this story by Doug Nichols, Bothell, WA (Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 2.) Nichols tells this story: “While serving with Operation Mobilization in India in 1967, tuberculosis forced me into a sanitarium for several months. I did not yet speak the language, but I tried to give Christian literature written in their language to the patients, doctors, and nurses. Everyone politely refused. I sensed many weren’t happy about a rich American (to them all Americans are rich) being in a free, government-run sanitarium. (They didn’t know I was just as broke as they were!) The first few nights I woke around 2:00 A.M. coughing. One morning during my coughing spell, I noticed one of the older and sicker patients across the aisle trying to get out of bed. He would sit up on the edge of the bed and try to stand, but in weakness would fall back into bed. I didn’t understand what he was trying to do. He finally fell back into bed exhausted. I heard him crying softly. The next morning I realized what the man had been trying to do. He had been trying to get up and walk to the bathroom! The stench in our ward was awful. Other patients yelled insults at the man. Angry nurses moved him roughly from side to side as they cleaned up the mess. One nurse even slapped him. The old man curled into a ball and wept. The next night I again woke up coughing. I noticed the man across the aisle sit up and again try to stand. Like the night before, he fell back whimpering. I don’t like bad smells, and I didn’t want to become involved, but I got out of bed and went over to him. When I touched his shoulder, his eyes opened wide with fear. I smiled, put my arms under him, and picked him up. He was very light due to old age and advanced TB. I carried him to the washroom, which was just a filthy, small room with a hole in the floor. I stood behind him with my arms under his armpits as he took care of himself. After he finished, I picked him up, and carried him back to his bed. As I laid him down, he kissed me on the cheek, smiled, and said something I couldn’t understand. The next morning another patient woke me and handed me a steaming cup of tea. He motioned with his hands that he wanted a tract. As the sun rose, other patients approached and indicated they also wanted the booklets I had tried to distribute before. Throughout the day nurses, interns, and doctors asked for literature. Weeks later an evangelist who spoke the language visited me, and as he talked to others he discovered that several had put their trust in. Christ as Savior as a result of reading the literature. What did it take to reach these people with the gospel? It wasn’t health, the ability to speak their language, or a persuasive talk. I simply took a trip to the bathroom. What won these people was the fact, that when he walked, he walked like Jesus. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Whenever we do what Jesus would do, we have happy feet. People see not only what we do, but who we are. When we walk like Jesus, we are automatically spreading the gospel. Contrary to popular belief, people want to hear your story of salvation. People spend millions of dollars looking for answers, but will listen you for free. Millions of people who are looking for a new answer to an old question. Need to know that Jesus Christ is the answer. Whatever the problem, Christ is the answer. But how can they believe that if they don’t hear. Need to hear it from those who believe it themselves. People all over the world need to hear about God’s grace. May you admit, submit, commit and transmit the good news! Amen Extra illustrations….. SITTING DOWN It’s said that when Henry Ward Beecher was a boy, he had a teacher at school who asked one of the boys in class a question which the boy answered. The teacher became angry and told the boy he was wrong and commanded him to: "Sit down!" The boy was obviously confused because he’d thought he’d answered correctly, but he sat abruptly down. Several boys were asked the same question, they gave the same answer and promptly rebuked by their teacher. Finally Beecher was asked to stand and answer the question. He gave the same answer and was commanded "Sit down!" But Beecher held his ground and insisted that the answer was correct. For a few moments the teacher stormed at him, but seeing Beecher wasn’t going to give up he smiled and said, "Well, boys, you were all correct, but Beecher was the only one sure enough to stand up for it.” Many people have lost their faith in Christ because they simply lacked the courage to stand up for what they believed. They had grown so used to apologizing for their faith that once someone mounted a serious challenge to that faith they just gave up and sat down. Children’s Sermon (From a sermon by Jeff Strite, Confession Is Good For the Soul, 10/24/2010) Offer Them Christ by King Duncan Passage: Romans 9:30--10:21 • Lectionary: Proper 14 Item 2 of 8 | Back to Results Object: a map of your town and a highlighter Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. I want you to pretend with me. Let's say you had a friend, and that friend wanted to go from his/her house to McDonald's. Now, here's your friend's house (make a dot on the map), and here's McDonald's (make another dot). And to get to McDonald's, your friend wanted to take this road, then get off on this road, and then go over to this road, and (highlight a very circuitous, out of the way route, offthewall route), then take this road to get there. Now that looks like a pretty hard way to get to McDonald's. And your friend just might get lost along the way and never make it there. But what if you knew a better way to McDonald's? What if you knew a way that was shorter, faster, easier, and better, so you knew for sure that your friend wouldn't get lost? Wouldn't you tell him/her about it? If you care about your friend, you would. Well, what if your friend wanted to know the way to Heaven? You can't look at a map to get there. Some people think that you get to Heaven by doing nice things all the time and never sinning. But that's really hard to do, and it won't get you into Heaven. Some people think that you get into Heaven by praying a lot, and following a lot of very strict rules. But that's really hard to do, too, and it won't get you into Heaven. The Bible says that the way to get into Heaven is to believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, and then to tell people about your faith in Jesus. That's pretty easy, isn't it? And now that you know the way, I hope that you will tell others, so that they can go to Heaven someday, too. There was a peculiar fisherman from Minnesota who was very well prepared. He knew how to fish. He had everything you need to be a good fisherman. He had poles, nets, bait, and even a really nice boat, but this fisherman had a problem. You see, for all his preparation he never caught anything. Not one fish. Not one, not ever. And you know why he never caught a fish? What do you think? The answers easy: He never went fishing. He had all the knowledge and all the equipment, but he never got into the boat, he never left the dock..

Prayers for the City

February 24, 2013 Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 Luke 13:31-35 Prayers for the City 2nd Sunday of Lent Year C Second Sunday of lent This is the second Sunday of our Lenten journey. Its winter, it is cold and many of our days are dark. This winter we don’t know what it going to happen, some days it is raining, some days its snowing, and the worse are the days when it is doing something icy in between. But it is fitting weather for lent, a time of darkness when we are waiting for the joy of Easter. It is a time when we focus on the promises of God, and we prepare ourselves for the day that they will come true. Focus of our text The old testament readings focus on our relationship with God. the promises that God makes of us and the things we do for God in return. In the gospel readings for lent focus on the journey of Jesus to the capital city of faith- Jerusalem. Today I want to focus on both readings – Genesis and Luke. They both have important lessons for our faith. The importance of Jerusalem Luke mentions the city Jerusalem 99 times – he tells the story of Jesus knowingly journeying to Jerusalem – the place where the cross has been waiting for him for decades. Jerusalem literally means the city of peace – and yet Jesus sees that there is anything but peace in the city. He sees sin, corruption, people who are not willing to listen to the good news of salvation. Jesus overlooks Chicago A friend of mine, a fellow pastor says that if you go into the Chicago temple, the largest United Methodist church in Chicago – downtown – if you go into the main sanctuary you will find a large picture of Jesus overlooking Jerusalem in tears. Scripture says that Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Our scripture for today days that Jerusalem is a city so sinful, that it kills those prophets sent to turn it around. Jesus says that he wants to make a difference but the people wont let him. And yet he knows that is where God calls him. There are many portraits of him like the one in the Chicago Temple, longingly looking over Jerusalem. But in that church in the prayer chapel there is another picture, of Jesus looking over the city – but it doesn’t take long to realize that it is not Jerusalem – you look at the skyline and realize that it is Chicago. Jesus looks over our city too – praying, hoping, inviting, forgiving and waiting. Chicago 4th most miserable city A report was just released over the weekend which says that Chicago is the 4th most miserable place to live in the nation. Rockford is #3 in the nation, Lake county #9 – the list also includes Gary as one of the top 20. The report list crimes, high forclosure rates, and declining values of homes as reasons for the misery of its residents. For someone who is looking, you can find a lot of things wrong with this city. As one who does ministry in Chicago – there are a lot of things that are discouraging. But the one thing that gives me hope if the tenacity of Jesus – who that in the midst of rejection and hopelessness, find hope. I remember attending a gardening meeting, and talking with a women – and telling her that the youth cannot come across the street to work on a garden because of the danger of violence. And the woman replied, but that is why I come to these meetings, in the hope that one day things will be different. If I keep believing, if I keep working, if I keep living, then one day our city will change. And all of the negative things that affect us, all of those conditions will disappear, and our children will live in a better community. Children of Abraham Now I don’t know that woman’s religious background – but I can say that she is truly a child of Abraham. She has the faith in the invisible, the impossible, the improbable, things that cant possibly make sense in our circumstances. How do you know when you have a call from God? when you been given a vision of a world that can’t possibly be, when you have been called to a place where there are no known pathways – you could be a child of the faith of Abraham. Emily Dickenson said – I dwell in possibility. The children of faith dwell in what is possible with God, not in what the news tells them about the world. William Cary, who started the missionary movement said that we should expect great things from God and attempt great things for God. Galatians 3:6-8 Just as Abraham believed in God and reckones it righteousness, those who believe are the descendents of Abraham. God promised Abraham that he would have children as numerous as the sea. It is Paul that reminds us that those descendants are his natural children, but more importantly those descendant are those who were able to have faith like Abraham. After these things Look at the scripture in Genesis for today. It starts out – after these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. After these things? After what things? After Abraham had been called to leave his family and go live in the middle of the dessert, after being tested by his family, after fighting enemies in order to rescue his family, after being tested by kings to worship them, after being married for years with no offspring, after claiming a new life – he had a vision from God. Scripture says that this was one of the darkest times of his life. Not so much because things were going bad for him. But because he was scared. He had been through so many changes, he had listened to God for no reason. He had no idea of what God was going to ask of him next. All God asked of him – was to believe God. to have faith in what God was calling him to do, to go where he had never been before, to create what he had never seen before, to stand up where he had never had to take a stand – and to believe. Believe in an invisible, impossible, improbable God. And Abraham responds, I don’t have a problem believing in you. But Abraham did what most of us do. We look at the one thing in our lives that we don’t have, and we say that we will believe when that problem is solved. When we receive that one thing in the world that we need. For Abraham is was an heir – he and his wife were in their 90’s and they still did not have a child. If God could do anything – why did God not give him a child. Storms and anchors come from the same place A young naval student was being put through the paces by an old sea captain. "What would you do if a sudden storm sprang up on the starboard?" "Throw out the anchor, sir." "What would you do if another storm sprang up aft?" "Throw out another anchor, sir." "And if another terrific storm sprang up forward, what would you do?" "Throw out another anchor." "Hold on", said the captain. "Where are you getting all your anchors from?" "From the same place you’re getting your storms, sir." You don’t have to worry whether or not God has enough anchors for your storms! We worship a God who is invisible, impossible, improbable and most important – omnipotent. He is the God of all things in our lives. God creates our needs, but he also fulfills our needs. God will always provide. In the midst of this dark time in Abraham’s faith – God invites him to go outside and look up at the sky and count the stars. If he could count the stars he could count his children. God provides for our needs, The God who calls us to the impossible, will equip us to succeed – if only we are willing to believe. Tight rope worker and the believer Jean Francois Gravelet was considered one of the greatest tightrope walkers in history. He was the first man to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. But that was not enough for him, he liked to show off. One day while crossing, he lowered a rope to a ship, pulled up a bottle of Coke, sat down on the rope to drink it. When he achieved all of that he needed to do more. He crossed in a sack, on stilts, on a bicycle, one day he was blindfolded. By this time, he had the attention of the world, so whenever he would walk across crowds of thousands would come to watch, cheer and scream his name. Finally, one day – he announced that he was the greatest tight rope walker – he asked the crowd if they believed in him. They shouted – we believe. Okay he shouted back, I will walk back across the tightrope. But this time I am going to walk with one of you on my shoulders. – do I have any volunteers? There was not a sound – no one said anything. Until one man finally raised he hand, and said he would be the one to sit on the tightrope walkers shoulder. He rose forward, got on the man’s shoulder and they went across together. Of course the crowd roared – the tightrope walker asked once again – do you believe? He corrected them – when I asked you if you believed – more than 10,000 people shouted yes. But the truth is – there was only one of you who really believed in me. God asks us every day if we believe – how many times in our life do we really answer yes? We are the children of Abraham – when we have faith in God. when we believe in the words of God there is nothing that we cant do and achieve. Lent is a lot like that dark time in Abraham’s life. When he was holding on the a vision that he could not see. Lent is our time to wait for God’s Easter promises to come true. The opposite of darkness in life is not necessarily light – it is the faithfulness of endurance. It is waiting on God, waiting with God, faithfully believing until circumstances change. Change comes to those who have the endurance to believe, in the invisible, the impossible and the improbable. May our prayer – be like the prayer of a young girl entering the faith of Abraham – “In a city torn by pain, a city far from wholeness and peace, a city waiting still to be redeemed, give us lord the courage to say: there is but one God in heaven and earth, in dark and light in good times and bad. Amen. Dr. Charles Blair, pastor of Calvary Temple, Denver, Colorado, said, “My first year as a pastor was a floundering experience. The turning point came when I read a book of sermons by Dr. Robert G. Lee, then pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee. I went to Memphis to interview Dr. Lee. For a week I trailed him as he made sixty pastoral calls, and I said to him one day, “Dr. Lee, if I made that many calls, I might have a big church too.” He replied, “Well, why don’t you?” “Then I wrote to Dr. Louis Evans, pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church, and later went to see him. He could spare me only twenty minutes, but they changed the course of my study life. “Son,” Dr. Evans said, “for every minute I preach I study an hour.” When I came back, Denver looked different to me.” In ancient Israel six cities were founded as cities of refuge. Thither for refuge could flee men who, without malice or premeditation, had taken the life of a fellow man. Once within the gates of the city of refuge, they could not be touched by any hand of vengeance or judgment. The rabbis have an interesting tradition that once every year the roads leading to these cities of refuge were carefully repaired and cleared of obstacles and stones, so that the man fleeing for his life would have no hindrance in his way. The Cross is God’s great and eternal city of refuge from the penalty upon sin. In the liturgy of the Jewish bat mitzvah of Julie and Valerie Glauberg was this beautiful prayer: “In a world torn by pain, a world far from wholeness and peace, a world waiting still to be redeemed, give us, Lord, the courage to say:”There is one God in heaven and earth:” Summary Depression, while serious, is not to be feared. By God’s grace and with the help of modern medicine, it can be healed. Through Many Dangers, Toils and Snares “A deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.” So says Genesis, chapter 15. The man those ominous words describe — the one who is surrounded, enveloped, by “deep and terrifying darkness” — is revered as a spiritual guide by perhaps more people on the face of this earth than any other. His name is Abram. We know him as Abraham. He’s the common ancestor of not one, but three great religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. So you may be surprised to hear an interpretation of the biblical narrative that describes Abram this way — as a man struggling with depression. Might depression, in fact, be a possible way to explain this “deep and terrifying darkness”? It comes upon Abram suddenly, without warning. It comes upon him at a time in his life when he has little reason to be depressed, when nearly everything about his life has been going well. Man of blessing “Look toward heaven and count the stars,” a generous Lord has said to him, not long before. “Count the stars, if you are able to count them. So shall your descendants be.” Now, having lots of descendants may not seem an attractive thought to many of us — most parents today prefer smaller families. Yet, most of our ancestors valued children as though they were wealth — which, in a very real sense, they were. For a man of the ancient Near East — a nomadic herder of livestock, like Abram — having many children is the be-all and end-all of life. For Abram, wealth is directly related to biological reproduction. Every time a ewe drops a new lamb, or a nanny goat a new kid, Abram’s net worth creeps up a little. Every time a young woman of Clan Abram bears a new child, that means another set of hands will one day hold a shepherd’s crook or bake the flat loaves of bread that sustain the community. The paradox, among all this divine blessing, is that Abram himself has, as yet, no children. His wife, Sarai, seems unable to conceive. Using a word that sounds harsh and hurtful today, the Bible calls her “barren.” This is the greatest sadness in Abram’s life, that as yet, he has no son and heir. Yet, hasn’t the Lord just assured him that his descendants will be as numberless as the stars of heaven? Hasn’t the Lord just promised to give Abram and his descendants a rich land one day? When I was a child, I was afraid of the dark. I would go get in bed with my dad, and he would tell me a story, and I knew everything was okay. As long as I was with him, I knew nothing would harm me. That is the way our heavenly Father wants us to feal about Him. He wants us to know that He is always near us, just a prayer away, and He will protect, lead, and guide us, and we can feal sheltered in His arms.